FAME Studios

FAME Studios
FAME Recording Studios in 2010
Location603 Avalon Avenue, Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35661
Coordinates34°44′42″N 87°40′00″W / 34.74506°N 87.66667°W / 34.74506; -87.66667
Official nameFAME Recording Studio
DesignatedDec 15, 1997[1]
Official nameFlorence, Alabama Music Enterprises (FAME) Recording Studios
DesignatedNovember 29, 2016
Reference no.16000397
FAME Studios is located in Alabama
FAME Studios
Location of FAME Studios in Alabama

FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the American music industry, FAME has produced many hit records and was instrumental in what came to be known as the Muscle Shoals sound. It was started in the 1950s by Rick Hall, known as the Founder of Muscle Shoals Music.[2] The studio, owned by Hall until his death in 2018, is still actively operating. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on December 15, 1997,[1] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The 2013 award-winning documentary Muscle Shoals features Rick Hall, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also called The Swampers), and the Muscle Shoals sound originally popularized by FAME.

  1. ^ a b "Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage". Alabama Historical Commission. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Rick Hall – Tishomingo, Alabama". Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Alabama Music Hall of Fame. 1985. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2017. Recognized as the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music," maverick producer, publisher, songwriter, musician and studio owner Rick Hall founded FAME Recording Studios and produced the Muscle Shoals music industry's first national hits.